A Sour Reunion
by Alienfromx
Summary: Ruby Rose finds herself reuniting with an old friend, only to be faced with devastating disappointment-Based on a writing prompt.


A Sour Reunion

"Salutations!" She said.

My heart jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Ruby?" asked Weiss. "Are you okay?" She probably noticed my eyes widening as my head turned in every direction to find the voice.

"Hello?" asked Weiss, carefully stepping towards me. "You're acting weird."

"She's here," I said in a choked up voice.

"Who?"

"PENNY!" I couldn't contain myself anymore. The sheer excitement I felt at the moment was too much for me to contain.

"You mean the Atlas robot?" asked Weiss. "I thought she died."

"I thought so too," I said rapidly, "but I swear I heard her."

Once again, my head moved in every direction hoping to hear that voice again.

"Salutations," it said again. There was no mistaking it. That kind and cheery voice belonged to one person. I wasted no time and bolted in the direction of the voice, feeling all the memories reeling in. Penny and I had only known each other for a short time, but it was during that time that she felt like another sister to me. She was an android created by Atlas, but she wasn't just any android. She was an android with a soul. She was a human being as far as I was concerned. We would stay up late sharing each other's secrets and dreams. It was nice having someone who you could confide in and help out at the same time. Her loss was such a blow to me that I remember refusing to leave my bed for the next couple of days. It made me angry to see people waving away her death as just, "a machine that got destroyed." Penny was more than that and it hurt to see her mentioned as something lifeless.

That would no longer be the case after this. Penny was here and I had to meet her.

"Penny!" I shouted with glee as I wrapped my arms around her. She still had that orange hair with the bright pink bow attached, as well as the green dress that she always wore.

"You're back!" I said in tears. "You're really back! I missed you so much!"

I had expected Penny to be just as happy, but she didn't even smile when she saw me.

"Excuse me," she said, "but who are you?"

My smile instantly faded and I felt as if I'd been pierced in the heart. "P-Penny," I said weakly. "It's me Ruby…don't you remember?"

I could see Penny's green eyes staring deep into mine, searching for memories.

"I'm afraid not," she said. "Are you by any chance confusing me with Mark I?"

"What?"

Penny smiled at me with a nod. "I see," she said kindly. "Mark I was my predecessor. I had been told that she arrived in Vale before I did."

"No…" I said, stepping away from this new Penny. I felt like I was about to fall out of my own body. This was Penny. This was the girl I had grown so close to. Were my hopes really all for nothing? Was Penny really going to remain a memory? It couldn't be. I didn't want it to be. I refused for it to be.

"Are you in need of a medic?" Penny asked, "You seem rather uneasy."

"No," I said, fighting back more tears. "I'm…I'm fine."

I couldn't control myself anymore. I fell on my knees and let the tears stream down my cheeks. A vision of the old Penny came into my mind: a memory of her lifeless eyes staring into mine the moment she died. That look haunted me and it still does to this day. A part of me even felt guilty about it. I had been there to witness it, so surely there was something I could have done to prevent it. I'm not really sure what that would have been, but I nonetheless felt like her dying was somewhat my fault.

"Please," I heard myself say, "You can't be gone."

"I deeply apologize, but—"

"Ruby!" I heard Weiss shouting. "There you are."

I could hear her footsteps come to a halt as she stood behind me.

"Are you a friend of hers?" asked Penny.

"Oh," Weiss said numbly. "It really is Penny."

"It's not her," I sniffed.

Weiss looked down at me. "What?"

"She means that I am not my predecessor," said Penny. "I am Mark II of the Atlas Android Program. My body is now composed of carbon fibers to prevent magnetism—"

"Stop," I said while trying to regain my composure.

"I was only—"

"Don't bring up Penny's death!" I shouted at her. "You may not remember now, but you were once a close friend of mine! Seeing you die is a memory I'll never be able to let go!"

"Ruby," Weiss said carefully, putting a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. "I think we should go back."

I didn't answer Weiss but I did stand up. Penny looked back at me with a frown on her face. It was so surreal to see her standing before me, talking just like her old self. Everything about her was the same, except for her memories.

"Goodbye," I said faintly, refusing to look at Penny.

"It was…uh…nice meeting you," said Weiss.

"Likewise," Penny said gently.

Weiss tried cheering me up by mentioning a nearby festival we could go to. I couldn't hear the rest, as her words became a distant echo. I was left alone in my own thoughts, feeling my emotions numb as images of Penny entered my head. All those shared memories would remain one-sided.

Penny's death was more than just the loss of a friend. It was the loss of the only person who cared for me outside of Yang at the time. It was the loss of someone I considered a sister.


End file.
